Aerin Lauder and Eddie Borgo’s Met Gala–Ready Jewelry

In commemoration of “Charles James: Beyond Fashion,” opening imminently at the refurbished and newly christened Anna Wintour Costume Center, Aerin Lauder and Eddie Borgo have partnered to create a lasting homage to the late designer: a necklace and a bracelet, both boasting enameled gardenias flourishing along golden hardware.

“I grew up admiring beautiful photographs of women in James’s designs,” says Lauder. “And I was especially taken with the live gardenia jacket he created for Austine Hearst—it’s one of my favorite flowers.” To note: In 1953, James produced a coat sewn with live blooms, which Hearst wore over her “Four-Leaf Clover” dress–perhaps one of the designer’s most famous and enduring legacies.

“When Aerin asked me to join her on this project, I immersed myself in research, focusing on the work of Albert Weiss, who started to make jewelry for James in 1954,” says Borgo. Notes of Borgo’s expectedly edgier designs can be seen combined with Weiss’s lush opulence-like sparkling inset crystals for example, whilst Lauder’s feminine touch ebbs and flows throughout. “One of the most fun things about collaborating with Eddie is that his aesthetic is in definite contrast to mine,” admits Lauder. “But luckily he was easy to work with—ultimately it was about our shared respect for Charles James.” Borgo echoes Lauder’s admiration: “I’d recommend wearing these pieces in a way that is considerate of the romanticism of James’s work.” We’ll just have to wait and see what they, or some other lucky attendee, come up with on Monday night.